A model is about to lose her second leg to a disease linked to tampons — here's what you should know about it

Model Lauren Wasser lost her right leg to tampon-related toxic shock syndrome (TSS).

Wasser recently revealed that she will likely have her left leg amputated, too.

She wants to warn women about the dangers of TSS.

TSS is a serious medical emergency — but it's also very rare.

There are steps you can take to reduce your risk, too.

Model Lauren Wasser was a normal, healthy 24-year-old when she was suddenly struck down by a high fever during her period. She was found unconscious in her apartment and rushed to a hospital. Wasser didn't know it at the time, but she'd developed toxic shock syndrome, or TSS, the life-threatening condition that's sometimes associated with tampon use.

"I'm in daily excruciating pain," Wasser wrote in a op-ed for InStyle.com on November 29. "I have a golden [prosthetic] leg that I am completely proud of, but my left foot that has an open ulcer, no heel, and no toes [...] In a few months, I'm inevitably going to have my other leg amputated."

"When I see ads for tampons, it's always a woman running on the beach or swimming in the ocean [...] I haven't been able to do any of those things in five years. So much of my life has been taken because of this," she told People. "It's a hard decision, but my only way to freedom."

Lauren Wasser in December 2017. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Wasser's story might make you feel like tossing every tampon you own into the nearest trash can, and that makes sense — losing limbs is a painful and frightening prospect. But it's important to put Wasser's individual experience into a bigger context: TSS is real and serious, but it's also rare.

It's real, but it's rare.

Today, TSS simply isn't that common, but a few decades ago, things were different. Back the 1970s, Proctor & Gamble developed a new, super-absorbent tampon called Rely. A few years after it hit the market, there was an alarming outbreak of TSS.

Menstruating women can lower their risk by practicing good tampon habits.

There are a few simple habits that can help prevent TSS, according to the Cleveland Clinic. First, use tampons with the lowest absorbency required for your flow. (In other words: Skip super-plus tampons on a day when you're only spotting.) Try to alternate using tampons and pads when you can, and when you do use tampons, change them every four to eight hours. Don't use tampons when you don't have your period.

And finally, the Cleveland Clinic notes, women who've already had TSS are at higher risk of getting it again and should avoid tampons altogether.

You should always look out for the signs of TSS.

What happened to Wasser isn't the norm for all women who use tampons. But it's a good reminder that TSS is a really big deal when it does happen.

The NIH says the symptoms of TSS include confusion; diarrhea; feeling generally sick; headaches; fever and/or chills; muscle aches; nausea and vomiting; red eyes, mouth, or throat; and a red rash that looks like a sunburn and peels after 1 or 2 weeks. Get immediate medical help if you develop a fever or rash and feel ill after using a tampon.

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